Tea Board issues revised SOP for 100 percent dust tea auction

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: For the implementation of 100 per cent of dust tea auctions in Assam and ten other states, the Tea Board of India has issued a revised SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).

In January 2026, the Tea Board made the dust tea auction mandatory up to December 30, 2026. Now on, the auction of dust tea in Assam and ten other states will be in accordance with the revised SOP.

According to the revised SOP, all dust teas having factory gate pass until December 30, 2026, shall come under the purview of mandatory auction as per the Gazette notification issued on February 23, 2024, and the order issued on January 13, 2026.

Mandatory auction of dust teas shall be subjected to quality testing as per FSSAI norms, and the same shall be facilitated by the brokers of each auction centre through an online platform under the aegis of Association of Tea Auctioneers (ATA).

Testing shall be conducted “mark-wise” by brokers, with selections made randomly through the online platform using AI and algorithms. Each mark must be tested at least once within a six-month period. Retesting of any mark within this period will only be conducted after all marks have been tested at least once.

In case the laboratory fails to issue test reports prior to the date of sale, the tea shall not be auctioned, and necessary action against the laboratory should be taken by the ATA. Laboratories shall strictly adhere to the Tea Board’s instructions regarding the collection and testing of samples. In the event of non-compliance, the Tea Board may not permit the concerned laboratory to collect or test samples of auction tea.

The detection of any banned or off-label chemicals, pesticides, and residues will result in the destruction or denaturing of the affected tea lots. As far as practicable, one should destroy the failed tea lots within the warehouse premises to avoid unnecessary transportation and ensure better regulatory oversight.

Failed test lots shall be destroyed or denatured within one month from the date of receipt of the test report, and if sent for retesting, one month from the date of the retest report. The liability for ensuring timely destruction/denaturing shall be entrusted to the brokers/sellers and the warehouse concerned.

Apart from Assam, the revised SOP will be applicable in Aruanchal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh.

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